The present invention relates to a handle for a pan or a similar kitchen vessel.
Several pan handles are known from the prior art.
Thus, for example, a pan handle comprising a steel tube is already known in the art.
Such a steel tube handle, however, has the drawback that, during the cooking operation, the handle can be excessively heated, thereby it is necessary to provide between the pan body and handle thermally insulating means, which make the assembling of the handle more complex and expensive.
In another prior pan handle, the handle metal core, integral with the pan, is coated by wood insulating elements: however, this approach has been found as insufficiently practical, since the wood coating is affected, upon a continued use, by the heat source and the required washing and cleaning operations, causing, upon a prolonged period of use, the handle to be partially destroyed.
Yet another approach provides to coat the pan handle, projecting from the pan body, by synthetic materials, i.e. thermosetting and heat resistant resins, such as phenolic resins.
To provide such a synthetic material handle, the metal core is coated, in an overmolding method, by a synthetic material, which is a slow, expensive and complex making procedure.
Recently, pan handles integrally consisting of silicone have also been made by injecting into a suitable mold housing the metal core pan assembly a silicone base insulating material.
Also known is the fact that a pan handle integrally made of a silicone is commercially unsupportable, just due to the very high cost of the silicone resin and the processing methods therefor.